Firefighters were called to deal with a fire at a city centre health care clinic, after staff arrived and discovered the flames.

Maria Mortimer, receptionist at the Complementary Health Care Clinic, discovered the fire in a seminar room on the top floor of the Exchange Street building at about 8.30am today. Firefighters from Carrow, Earlham and Sprowston went to the scene and took about half an hour to put out what Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service described as a 'small fire'.

A thermal image camera was used to check for hotspots and a ventilation fan was used to disperse the smoke in the building.

The timing of the fire was particularly unfortunate, given it was the first day of term for students learning homeopathy at the clinic.

Owner Trish Stephenson said: 'We run the Homeopathic College of East Anglia here and it's the first day of term!

'Luckily the estate agents across the road have let us use their seminar room so the students are across there. Now it's just all hands on deck for the clean up.'

It is believed the fire was caused by an electrical fault.